Important Home-Stretch of Games Coming up for the Junior Blues

As the slow-starting, suddenly revamped Springfield Junior Blues look to build off their currently impressive stretch, starting this weekend when they host the Janesville Jets for two games, the team will have an opportunity to start picking up ground against North division opponents as they will be playing a lot of upcoming games inside the Nelson Center.

This weekend will match the first two games of a stretch over the next month that will have the good guys playing on home ice six times over the next eight games.

With Junior Blues currently sitting in seventh place in the North division, and owning an overall record of 4-8-2 on the season, three of the teams’ four lone victories have come at home. Before splitting last weekend’s two game series on the road against Topeka at one win each, Brett Skibba scored five goals in two games and the Junior Blues defeated first-place Port Huron twice inside the Nelson Center, which started the streak of three wins over the last four contests.

Next weekend, following this weekends games against the division-rival Jets, team captain Mike Fazio and his Junior Blues will hit the road for two games against Johnstown in the first weekend of November—following that up with four straight home games against both the Soo Eagles (November 9^th and 10^th) and Topeka Roadrunners (November 16^th and 17^th).

Unlike last season, this team needs to make winning games at home happen more often. Although they still finished two games above .500 inside the Nellie (15-13-2), winning the games early on mean just as much as they do near the end of the season. They got off to a slow start before flourishing towards the end of the season when they went on a roll before heading into the playoffs.

So far this season, after a small sample of eight games, the team is 3-4-1 and with no losses in regulation over the two games this weekend, would reach the .500 mark---which in itself alone, could be a huge momentum shifter as the season continues on for such a young hockey squad.

The 2012-2013 North American Hockey League regular season is still very young—which means nothing more than that there is still a lot of time and hockey left to play. As the past few seasons’ have proved to us, despite this being a newly owned, coached, and player-led team, the Junior Blues have normally always been a second-half of the season team that builds off of winning games inside the Nelson Center.

Well, with this weekend starting a very important and opportunistic stretch-run of hockey games, winning in front of the Springfield-faithful looks to be a very important key role in determining how well this season will go. As the all time, famous expression goes though, only time will tell. Let the games begin!

Leon, Kellenberger both among Honorable Mention for Star of Week

One week following Brett Skibba winning the North division's Combat Star of the Week after Springfield swept the South division-leading Port Huron Fighting Falcons inside the Nelson Center, the Junior Blues goalie combination between the pipes were both among the honorable mentions for the North division's star.

Junior Blues number one goalie on the depth chart, Matt Leon, delivered a shut-out in the series opener on Friday night as Springfield beat Topeka 2-to-0. Leon won his third overall game of the season and successfully saved all twenty-nine Roadrunner shots and recorded his first shut-out in between the pipes of the 2012-2013 regular season.

Ryan Kellenberger got the nod to start on Saturday night--and even though Topeka came out on top 1-to-0 in a hard-nosed hockey game, his performance was very impressive to say the very least.

Normally when a goalie allows just one goal in sixty minutes, that is just about always good enough to win the game--but that is if the opposing goalie isn't named Spencer Viele. Kellenberger played the entire game and successfully saved 34-of-35 Topeka shots. Following almost 55-minutes straight of shut-out hockey as well, at the 16:04 mark of the final period, Drew Karioflies scored on a nasty slapshot as Topeka was on the one-man advantage.

The goalie-tandem this following weekend combined to go 1-1 against Topeka, who when the series began on Friday night, was tied for first-place in the North. Against an offensive-attack that is as highly-potent as the Roadrunners' is, the two successfully saved 64-of-65 shots and have the hometown good guys steam rolling as we get set to host division-rival Janesville inside the Nellie on Friday night.

Daniel Cesarz, the forward from the Jamestown Ironmen, won the North Division Star of the Week, while the Soo Eagles goaltender Tyler Marble was the second star in the division--while Matt Leon finished with the fourth star and Ryan Kellenberger as the fifth star as they were both among the North division's honorable mention voting list.

Jr. Blues starting goalie Matt Leon turning heads around the NAHL

While Matt Leon may not be considered in very many peoples eyes among one of the North American Hockey Leagues elites between the pipes, head coach Tony Zasowski, his Springfield Junior Blues teammates, and the people in the state capital of Illinois would probably tell you the exact opposite.

While he is in his second season of hockey at this level, after joining Springfield in the past off-season following starting his NAHL career off atWichita Falls, has started eight games in between the pipes in his first season here in Springfield and has won three and loss three starts along with two overtime losses as well. Leon has allowed just twenty goals total so far while he has a total of 263 shots fired on him. Realistically, quite impressive, ehhhh?

Following his first season in the NAHL last season, he finished up 13-13-2 in twenty-seven starts and had a total of thirty-one appearances. For a rookie goalie, in his first season at this level of play, he was actually a pretty impressive pickup from the day that head coach Tony Zasowki and the team picked Leon up to have him battle Kellenberger for the starting goalie spot. Against 828 shots fired against him in 2011-12, Leon allowed just eighty-one goals--good enough for a save-percentage of .91% and ended up with one shut out.

So far in this current season, as Leon is the starter to his back-up counterpart in Ryan Kellenberger after winning the preseason battle, he has an overall save percentage of .93 percent, and entering this weekends home games against the Janesville Jets, has won his last two starts overall with his last start being his second-career shut out, and first of this season, as he successfully blocked all twenty-nine Roadrunners' shots in the Junior Blues 2-to-0 win over Topeka on October 19th.

This seasons team is young--very young. In fact, as well as having a new coach and coaching staff in their first season in the North American Hockey League under Tony Zasowski and Mike Janda, this seasons team is actually one of the youngest teams in the entire hockey league--but under Zasowski, who won many state championships in Wisconsin at the 18U level, isn't surprising. One thing that is certainly still to be expected though, the team will still be good enough to win ball games.

He is the type of head coach that has a proven track record of getting the best out of all of his young talent--and if he can get that out of this teams youngsters' as well as the veterans on this team, once again the Junior Blues could be an opponents nightmare in a short five-game series if they could slip into a playoff spot yet again this season.

Despite the Junior Blues getting off to a rather slow start to the season, the team is starting to improve as they have won three out of their last four games--and bounced their way back up out of the bottom-feeder teams in the entire North American Hockey League.

While the team has a big weekend series against a division-rival in Janesville this weekend at home, Matt Leon has a big opportunity to turn some heads facing him and put the team back into the thick of things in the division race--assuming we can pick up 2-4 points in the two games.

Depending on how head coach Zasowki decides to play it this weekend and start Leon either just once or for both games against Janesville, will be an interesting setting. With Leon playing with Wichita Falls last season, he never faced the Jets; and he hasn't yet this season either--which will make this weekend his first career start against a team that has a nice offensive-attack led by fast-athletic forwards on both of the wings.

This weekend most definitely isn't a make-or-break weekend for Leon or even for the Junior Blues for the rest of the entire 2012-2013 regular season for that matter, but it certainly could go a long way in determining what direction this team is really heading in. With a team as young and inexperienced as this season's team, having a goalie such as the twenty-year old kid from Charlotte, North Carolina, Matt Leon, could make a huge difference--such as sitting at home in April or gearing up for the Robertson Cup championship.

Weekend Preview: Jr. Blues host Janesville Jets for Two Games

Springfield Junior Blues (14 Games Played, 4-8-2, 10 Points) – 7^th Place in the North division

Janesville Jets (14 Games Played, 7-5-2, 16 Points) – 5^th Place in the North division

Friday -- Janesville Jets at Springfield Junior Blues – 7:05 pm – Nelson Center

Saturday – Janesville Jets at Springfield Junior Blues – 7:05 pm – Nelson Center

Springfield Jr. Blues vs. Janesville Jets Head-to-Head

Janesville: 2-4-0 on the road this season; Springfield: 3-4-1 at home this season

Janesville: (38 Goals Scored—39 Goals Allowed)

Springfield: (32 Goals Scored—39 Goals Allowed)

 

Special Teams Head-to-Head Comparison

Janesville:

(15.8% Powerplay Percentage—13^th in the NAHL)

(84.1% Penalty Kill Percentage—11^th in the NAHL)

Springfield:

(18.2% Powerplay Percentage—9^th in the NAHL)

(82.5% Penalty Kill Percentage—14^th in the NAHL)

Head-to-Head Matchups this Season

(Season Series Tied 0-0)

1.      Janesville at Springfield (October 26^th, 7:05 pm) Nelson Center – Friday Night

2.      Janesville at Springfield (October 27^th, 7:05 pm) Nelson Center – Saturday Night

3.      Springfield at Janesville (December 21^st, 7:00 pm) Janesville Ice – Friday Night

4.      Springfield at Janesville (December 22^nd, 7:00 pm) Janesville – Saturday Night

Janesville Jets Top 5 Points’ Leaders (Through 10/23)

1.      Jason Ford (14 points—8 Goals, 6 Assists)

2.      Austin Vieth (12 points—5 Goals, 7 Assists)

3.      Connor Lemirande (7 points—4 Goals, 3 Assists)

4.      Jordan Himley (5 points—4 Goals, 1 Assists)

5.      Eric Carlson (5 Points—3 Goals, 2 Assists)

Janesville Jets Previous 5 Games (3-2-0) From Last Game on

-Janesville 3, Coulee Region 2 (overtime) – Saturday, October  20^th

-Janesville 4, Coulee Region 1 – Friday, October 19^th

-Janesville 6, Kalamazoo 4 – Sunday, October 14^th

-Kalamazoo 1, Janesville 0 – Saturday, October 13^th

-Johnstown 4, Janesville 1 – Sunday, October 7^th

Springfield Goals against Port Huron (Credits to Nalkil Productions)

The video above here is a highlight tape with all of the Springfield Junior Blues goals scored last weekend during the two-game sweep of Port Huron inside at home inside the Nelson Center on October 12th and 13th--last Friday and Saturday nights', respectively.

The Junior Blues defeated the Fighting  Falcons 5-to-3 in the opener on Friday night--then followed it up with another victory on Saturday by the score of 4-to-2. 

In the two game series, the hometown Junior Blues out shot the Fighting Falcons by a total of twenty-two more shots, at 94-to-72 overall. In front of the Springfield faithful, the team performed well with both teams at full-strength as combined through both Friday and Saturday's games, we went 0-for-7 on the one-man advantage, although all that matters is that they outscored them on both nights and overall in the two games at nine goals to five goals.

Featured in the video is goals scored by Russell Jordan, Mitch Rogge, and then a three-goal hat-trick from the North division's player of the week, Brett Skibba all on Friday night in the 5-to-3 victory. Also, from Saturday night, it will feature two more goals scored by Skibba--as well as goals scored by Terry Leabo and team-captain Mike Fazio in Springfield's 4-to-2 win in front of 568 Jr. Blues fans.

This video is on the team's official Youtube video page at this link here (click here). Also, all credits for this video go towards Nalkil Productions. Thanks, guys!

Achieving the impossible starting to become even more possible

After having followed both the college and professional levels of sports since I was a young toddler, witnessing some of the impossible become possible has been nothing short of a thrill.

Having said that, that doesn't just go for records being broken--or even huge upsets that nobody in the world could have predicted before hand--but what I truly mean by it, is seeing teams and individuals making certain things happen due to never giving up. To me, that is something I have the up-most respect for, and will never get old seeing happen.

Well, with the certain circumstances that the 2012-2013 Springfield Junior Blues are having to go through, this team throughout this season has an opportunity to make this a season that I myself, may never forget--and definitely not just because I'm writing for the team this season, either--but because of all of the adversity and turmoil that they are going through and having to overcome.

Despite losing an impressive core from last season of Kyle Cook, Joseph Pontasch, Chris Sitler and Gabe Antoni between the pipes due to the fact they all went on to play D1 hockey, the team this season may not be as well known--nor as experienced or as highly touted--but one thing is for sure, the kids sure do know how to play some good hockey.

With this being my second season (first full season) writing for the team, it certainly does bring excitement--but coming from someone that has been around and followed this team organization for many, many seasons--the franchise is most definitely heading in the right direction, and faster than any past team Springfield team that I have ever seen.

After having spoke to and having had conversations with the new head coach Tony Zaowski and his fellow coaching-staff members, this is the first time in what I would call forever that I finally have belief in winning our third Robertson Cup.

I'm not saying that it will happen this season, but it's definitely something that I can see happening in the very near future.

With a team that is as young as the current squad is, it's hard to really predict what may happen. Being a die-hard St. Louis Cardinals fan though has definitely helped me see the light though. The older veterans on this team such as ex-Illini star and team captain Mike Fazio and Brett Skibba will certainly have a large part in whatever happens.

After the last two championship runs from the Cardinals, with St. Louis squeaking in at the very end--all to end up as world champions--speaks its own volumes.

This team has a head coach that has a past resume with a lot of winning on it, and with the likes of both the rookies, veterans, and coaching staff all coming together at the same time, something very special could be in store.

The Junior Blues haven't won the Robertson Cup since winning in it in back-to-back seasons in the mid-1990's, but with the way that everything works out nowadays, making the tournament (playoffs) is all that it takes.

So despite the slow start that the team got off to--followed by a minor stretch of three wins in their last four contests against two of the NAHL's best teams (Port Huron and Topeka), if this team can continue to progress together and gain more and more chemistry--with the coaching staff and the current state of talent, the Springfield Junior Blues have a Roberson Cup caliber team--but making it happen is all about what happens on the ice.

No matter what happens though, Springfield has an opportunity to turn the impossible into possible.

Inside Scouting Report on the Janesville Jets (T-Cobb’s Perspective)

The Springfield Junior Blues will be hosting their division-foe Janesville Jets this upcoming weekend for two games on both Friday and Saturday inside the Nelson Center with the puck dropping at 7:05 p.m. both nights as the team looks to continue the current winning surge that they are on.

Following a weekend that the Junior Blues split the two game weekend series on the road in Kansas against the South divisions’ first place Topeka Roadrunners, the team will be looking to build even more momentum in front of the Springfield-faithful as they have won three of their last four games as they swept the division-leading Port Huron Fighting Falcons at home to start up the winning streak in which they have picked up six points.

Through fourteen games into the 2012-2013 regular season, Janesville currently has an overall record of seven wins, five regulation losses, and two overtime losses—which currently has them tied with Johnstown for fifth in the North division with sixteen points—six points ahead of our hometown good guys.

The Jets have currently scored forty-seven goals and have allowed fifty-three so far, and through their first six road games, own a record of 2-4-0 as they drop the puck off inside the Nelson Center. The Junior Blues enter this two game weekend-series at home holding a home record of 3-4-1 and will be looking to get back to the .500 mark in front of the home faithful.

Janesville’s top players thus far through the regular season; Jason Ford, Austin Vieth, Connor Lemirande, and Jordan Himley are some of the leaders on this squad out on the ice—and actually, all of them are forwards.

Jason Ford and Austin Vieth have combined for twenty-six goals so far—with fourteen coming from Ford and twelve coming from Vieth in twelve games (two less than Ford). Lemirande has seven total points thus far as he has scored four goals and assisted three more as well. Both of the likes of Himley and Eric Carlson both are evened up with five points each. Himley has scored four goals with one assist; and Carlson has scored three goals and two assists.

The Jets have went with two goalies on the season; Brock Kautz and Austin Priebe. In nine starts so far, Kautz has a 5-3-1 overall record, and has allowed just twenty-one goals on 266 total shots (.927 saves percentage). In the back-up role, Priebe, who has started five games himself, has basically been just as good. He has an overall record of 2-1-1 and has allowed just eleven goals on 142 shots (.928 saves percentage). 

The Jets, like Topeka, is a team that struggles the most in the opening period of the game. Janesville outscores opponents in every period aside from the first as they have been outscored 14-to-8--and conveniently, the first period is the only period that we out score our opponents as well, as we do 10-to-7. If we are going to beat these guys this weekend, getting off to a great start early on could and most likely will go a long, long way.

This weekend’s two game weekend series will be the first of two weekend series’ between the two division-rivals. They will meet at the Nelson Center this weekend and then will meet up again on Janesvilles’ ice for two more on December 21^st and December 22^nd. 

Friday night’s contest will be the first between the two since last season in the playoffs when our hometown Junior Blues defeated the Jets’ three games to two games in the best of five series the round before we were defeated at the hands of ex-league rival, Saint Louis. During the regular season, Springfield loss the season series to Janesville four-games to two-games.

Janesville Jets (14 GP--7W, 5L, 2OTL--16 Points--Tied for Fifth Place in North division)

Springfield Jr. Blues (14 GP--4W, 8L, 2OTL--10 Points--Seventh Place in North division)

Janesville Jets Top 5 Points Leaders (through 14 games)

1. Jason Ford (14 Points) 8 Goals--6 Assists (Forward)
2. Austin Vieth (12 Points) 5 Goals--7 Assists (Forward)
3. Connor Lemirande (7 Points) 4 Goals--3 Assists (Forward)
4. Jordan Hemley (5 Points) 4 Goals--1 Assists (Forward)
5. Eric Carlson (5 Points) 3 Goals--2 Assists (Forward)

A look ahead at the upcoming week in Springfield Jr. Blues hockey

Following a weekend inside the Kansas Expo in Topeka, Kansas, head coach Tony Zaowski and his Springfield Junior Blues split two games with the RoadRunners and improved their overall record on the young season to 4-8-2 (10 points) and are slowly but surely starting to gain a lot of confidence.

As it usually goes, even though this seasons' team is under brand new management and coaching staff, it has been a common theme for the hometown good guys' to start the season out slow; just to finish it strong and turn heads during the months of February and March. You know, the months when the race for the Robertson Cup starts to heat up.

In the two-game weekend split with the Roadrunners, Springfield pitched a shut out of their own on Friday night when they defeated Topeka 2-to-0 with Matt Leon between the pipes--but then on Saturday night, the tides' turned as the Junior Blues were shut out 1-to-0 as Topeka's goalie Spencer Viele pitched a shut out of his own.

With Janesville coming into the Nelson Center for two games this weekend, a couple of stellar performances with a couple of wins--especially over a division opponent--could put our boys right back into the thick of things a little sooner than what they normally are. This season's team has an awful lot of potential with an impressively good coaching staff and it is beginning to have the rest of the North American Hockey League turn their heads--and fast.

(Monday, October 22^nd through Sunday, October 28^th)

 

Monday, October 22^nd

-No Game (off day) – Practice at Nelson Center from 3pm to 5pm

Tuesday, October 23^rd

-No Game (off day) – Practice at Nelson Center from 3pm to 5pm

Wednesday, October 24^th

-No Game (off day) – Practice at Nelson Center from 3pm to 5pm

Thursday, October 25^th

-No Game (off day) – Practice at Nelson Center from 3pm to 5pm

Friday, October 26^th

-Jr. Blues vs. Janesville Jets (7:05 pm inside the Nelson Center in Springfield, Illinois)

Saturday, October 27^th

-Jr. Blues vs. Janesville Jets (7:05 pm inside the Nelson Center in Springfield, Illinois)

Sunday, October 28^th

-No Game (off day) – Practice at Nelson Center from 3pm to 5pm